Abbott Laboratories

I'm a 46-year-old investor and own shares of Abbott Laboratories. What are the prospects for the company? - F.M., Chicago This broad-based pharmaceutical firm must continually contend with new competition from generic versions of drugs, such as its Synthroid thyroid medication and Tricor cholesterol drug. It has done a pretty good job of meeting those challenges, with Synthroid doing better than expected and a newly formulated version of Tricor being marketed. It also recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for the use of Prevacid, marketed jointly with Takeda Chemical industries, as a short-term treatment for acid reflux disease for those between ages 12 and 17. Abbott Laboratories' earnings were up 5.6 percent in its past quarter as sales of its new drug Humira tripled.

Despite numerous marriage equality-related cases currently making their way through the judicial system, it's somehow the hot-button area of antitrust law where an important LGBT rights issue is taking place. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the battle between two dueling pharmaceutical companies over an AIDS drug has sparked a debate over whether gay men and lesbians can be removed from juries due to their sexual orientations. The case (SmithKline Beecham Corp.

When Dr. Mark G. Midei, who's accused of placing cardiac stents into patients who didn't need them, allowed stent maker Abbott Laboratories to throw parties at his Monkton home and accepted thousands in consulting fees, it was business as usual for the medical profession, his attorney said Friday. "All of these events were legal; they were done uniformly by all practitioners," said lawyer Stephen L. Snyder, adding that "this is the way it's done" between product sales people and doctors.

MedImmune Inc. said yesterday that its top-selling drug, Synagis, was granted approval in Canada, reinforcing an extensive list of countries in which MedImmune marketing partner Abbott Laboratories can sell the drug, which is designed to prevent a respiratory infection in infants. Analysts said the approval was largely a formality and would result in little additional revenue for the Gaithersburg company. Synagis has been available in Canada under a special access program since 1998, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it. "It's not a real big deal from an incremental standpoint," said Ron Renaud, an analyst with Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. "Doctors in Canada [already]

Some 300 people in polyester and psychedelic colors, big hair and platform shoes streamed into the Waxter Center, party faces on. Inside, a huge mirrored ball hung from the ceiling, pulsing light in time to disco music. It was a pop-culture nightmare: The '70s were back -- but at least it was in the name of charity. "This is our signature event," says Karen Bellesky, a grants manager at Chase Brexton Health Services. "The reason we do a retro dance is because back in 1978, Chase Brexton [opened]

Q. What are your thoughts on Anheuser-Busch? It continues to do well. Will this luck continue?A. This investment's for you.Stock of Anheuser-Busch Cos. (around $53 a share, New York Stock Exchange) is worth buying because this is a high quality firm that has made some smart diversification moves, said George Thompson, analyst with Prudential Securities.The nation's largest brewer is best-known for brands such as Budweiser, Michelob and Natural Light, as well as its Eagle snacks. It has the product and marketing know-how to come up with new winners as well.

MedImmune Inc. of Gaithersburg and Abbott Laboratories won European approval yesterday to market MedImmune's breakthrough anti-viral treatment for a serious lung infection in babies. The approval sent MedImmune shares up $8.8125, or 8 percent, to close at $112 on the Nasdaq stock market. MedImmune shares have risen 125 percent this year. Shares in Abbott, which has a marketing agreement with MedImmune, closed at $44, up 62.50 cents on the New York Stock Exchange. The drug, Synagis, has been available for treating prematurely born babies in the United States since June 1998.

When Dr. Mark G. Midei, who's accused of placing cardiac stents into patients who didn't need them, allowed stent maker Abbott Laboratories to throw parties at his Monkton home and accepted thousands in consulting fees, it was business as usual for the medical profession, his attorney said Friday. "All of these events were legal; they were done uniformly by all practitioners," said lawyer Stephen L. Snyder, adding that "this is the way it's done" between product sales people and doctors.

Despite numerous marriage equality-related cases currently making their way through the judicial system, it's somehow the hot-button area of antitrust law where an important LGBT rights issue is taking place. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the battle between two dueling pharmaceutical companies over an AIDS drug has sparked a debate over whether gay men and lesbians can be removed from juries due to their sexual orientations. The case (SmithKline Beecham Corp.

The payments and "VIP trips" given to a Maryland cardiologist by Abbott Laboratories for parties and consulting work — disclosed in a federal report released Monday — are just what new legislation and industry guidelines are supposed to curtail, lawmakers said. But some industry analysts say the revamped rules aren't strong enough. "There's absolutely no [meaningful] regulation," said Eric G. Campbell, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies health policy.

While Dr. Mark Midei was allegedly implanting unnecessary cardiac stents in hundreds of patients at a Towson hospital, stent manufacturer Abbott Laboratories was paying for crab and barbecue feasts at his Monkton home and building a business strategy around the Maryland cardiologist's high output, according to a federal report being released today. Abbott, a $30 billion-a-year, Chicago-based pharmaceutical firm, ranked Midei among its top-volume doctors in the Northeast and made plying him with research money and "VIP trips" part of its business plan in late 2008 - about the time Midei's usage of Abbott-brand stents soared, the report said.

If you invest in the stocks of consumer-related companies that you personally admire, you can't go wrong. Take Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., for example. Well, maybe not Krispy Kreme, whose stock tanked 66 percent in 2004 and 54 percent in 2005. It has closed nearly 100 stores and just got around to holding its first annual meeting since 2004. Despite evidence of a revival - shares nearly doubled last year - it is a shadow of former sweet expectations. Or let's say you're a do-it-yourselfer who loves shopping at Home Depot Inc. Whoops, not a terrific example either, since its stock declined 5 percent in 2005 and 1 percent last year, significantly underperforming the broader market.

I'm a 46-year-old investor and own shares of Abbott Laboratories. What are the prospects for the company? - F.M., Chicago This broad-based pharmaceutical firm must continually contend with new competition from generic versions of drugs, such as its Synthroid thyroid medication and Tricor cholesterol drug. It has done a pretty good job of meeting those challenges, with Synthroid doing better than expected and a newly formulated version of Tricor being marketed. It also recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for the use of Prevacid, marketed jointly with Takeda Chemical industries, as a short-term treatment for acid reflux disease for those between ages 12 and 17. Abbott Laboratories' earnings were up 5.6 percent in its past quarter as sales of its new drug Humira tripled.

MedImmune Inc. said yesterday that its top-selling drug, Synagis, was granted approval in Canada, reinforcing an extensive list of countries in which MedImmune marketing partner Abbott Laboratories can sell the drug, which is designed to prevent a respiratory infection in infants. Analysts said the approval was largely a formality and would result in little additional revenue for the Gaithersburg company. Synagis has been available in Canada under a special access program since 1998, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it. "It's not a real big deal from an incremental standpoint," said Ron Renaud, an analyst with Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. "Doctors in Canada [already]

Some 300 people in polyester and psychedelic colors, big hair and platform shoes streamed into the Waxter Center, party faces on. Inside, a huge mirrored ball hung from the ceiling, pulsing light in time to disco music. It was a pop-culture nightmare: The '70s were back -- but at least it was in the name of charity. "This is our signature event," says Karen Bellesky, a grants manager at Chase Brexton Health Services. "The reason we do a retro dance is because back in 1978, Chase Brexton [opened]

If you invest in the stocks of consumer-related companies that you personally admire, you can't go wrong. Take Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., for example. Well, maybe not Krispy Kreme, whose stock tanked 66 percent in 2004 and 54 percent in 2005. It has closed nearly 100 stores and just got around to holding its first annual meeting since 2004. Despite evidence of a revival - shares nearly doubled last year - it is a shadow of former sweet expectations. Or let's say you're a do-it-yourselfer who loves shopping at Home Depot Inc. Whoops, not a terrific example either, since its stock declined 5 percent in 2005 and 1 percent last year, significantly underperforming the broader market.

The payments and "VIP trips" given to a Maryland cardiologist by Abbott Laboratories for parties and consulting work — disclosed in a federal report released Monday — are just what new legislation and industry guidelines are supposed to curtail, lawmakers said. But some industry analysts say the revamped rules aren't strong enough. "There's absolutely no [meaningful] regulation," said Eric G. Campbell, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies health policy.

MedImmune Inc. of Gaithersburg and Abbott Laboratories won European approval yesterday to market MedImmune's breakthrough anti-viral treatment for a serious lung infection in babies. The approval sent MedImmune shares up $8.8125, or 8 percent, to close at $112 on the Nasdaq stock market. MedImmune shares have risen 125 percent this year. Shares in Abbott, which has a marketing agreement with MedImmune, closed at $44, up 62.50 cents on the New York Stock Exchange. The drug, Synagis, has been available for treating prematurely born babies in the United States since June 1998.

MedImmune Inc. and pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories said yesterday that they've struck an alliance to market MedImmune's promising new drug to prevent a common infant respiratory disease.The agreement, potentially worth more than $60 million for the Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company, covers marketing rights for Medi-493. MedImmune is developing the drug to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in infants.RSV is the most common cause of hospitalization for children under 1 year old in the United States, striking about 90,000 children annually, according to pediatric experts.